VA Opioid Abatement Authority Awards
Central VA Crisis Receiving Center $1.9 M
First major allocations from 2022 national opioid settlement
Lynchburg, VA: On Friday, June 23, 2023, the Board of Directors for the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) voted to award $1,946,372 to the City of Lynchburg for the Central Virginia Crisis Receiving Center (CRC) that will serve all of Region 2000 (Appomattox, Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, Lynchburg). In total, the Authority awarded $23 million in grants to 76 localities across Virginia to fight the opioid epidemic.
During the 2022 General Assembly Session, Senator Steve Newman (R- Bedford) successfully introduced and included $6.95 million in Virginia’s biennial budget to create and provide initial funds for the Central Virginia CRC. In May 2023, the City of Lynchburg committed to provide up to $4.1 million in funding for the CRC. The CRC is a collaborative effort between the Commonwealth of Virginia, local governments in Region 2000, Horizon Behavioral Health Care, Centra Health, and local law enforcement agencies.
Over the past decade, the Lynchburg area has seen law enforcement officers tasked with sitting in hospital emergency departments with individuals in mental health crisis for hours and sometimes days. This doesn’t serve the individual in crisis who needs immediate health care. And it doesn’t allow law enforcement to do what they’re called to do – keep our streets safe.
Horizon Behavioral Health, the local community services board, serves as the lead entity on this project. They’ve identified a property in Lynchburg that is currently undergoing required inspections prior to the purchase. In the coming months, the exact location for the CRC will be released to the public. Funds are being used to purchase and remodel the building, as well as to provide services once the Center is open to the public.
“I am grateful to those serving on the OAA for awarding $1.9 million to assist with the founding and operation of the Central Virginia Crisis Receiving Center. The collaborative effort that’s taken place over the past year means the Lynchburg area will see a Regional Crisis Receiving Center very soon that will provide law enforcement with a location to take those in mental health crisis where they can get the attention they need and deserve. Without a doubt, the opioid epidemic has negatively impacted behavioral health in our community in a huge way. It’s my hope and prayer that this Center will provide a positive opportunity for those in crisis to get the help they need to turn their life around,” said Senator Steve Newman.
“As one of the first projects funded by the authority, this Crisis Receiving Center demonstrates our commitment to initiatives that will have a positive and lasting impact in the community. We know there is a desperate need for access to mental health services and substance use treatment which will be met by this center—providing individuals the care they need with the goal of keeping them out of emergency rooms and state hospitals,” said Senator Todd Pillion (R – Washington), chairman of the Opioid Abatement Authority.
“I am humbled by the active support from numerous dedicated partners, both locally and across the Commonwealth. The Crisis Receiving Center is positioned to be an invaluable asset to the surrounding communities, meeting a major need for emergency behavioral health services. As a premier provider of behavioral health services in Central Virginia, we are most proud that the Trauma Informed Model of Care (SAMHSA) will be foundational to offering effective and accessible person-centered treatment designed to safely maintain and meet the immediate needs of individuals in crisis in the least restrictive setting, where they have greater access to services and natural supports,” said Melissa Lucy, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director of Horizon Behavioral Health.
Link to OAA awards: https://www.oaa.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/oaa/pdf/June-26-OAA-Press-Release.pdf